Jellyfish
by CommodoreOblivious
Summary: John Munch and the gang have a surprise for their captain.


Disclaimer: I don't own SVU or the shirt mentioned.

A/N: Just something that popped into my head while reading a catalog.

IiIiIiIiI

Captain Cragen dropped his pen and rubbed his strained eyes. They were getting too old for paperwork, but his pride wouldn't allow him to get corrective lenses just yet.

He glanced at the door, hearing the sound that had distracted him in the first place. Every so often there was a burst of laughter, quickly muffled, followed by a short silence. It had been going on for little more than an hour now and he found that he was more than a little curious. Laughter was not something he heard often at the precinct.

Stretching, he pushed the unfinished report away from him. His knees cracked as he stood up. Just another reminder of his age.

He peered through the glass of the door, finding his four detectives crowded around John's desk. Olivia was sitting on the edge of it while Elliot straddled his chair, arms crossed over the back of it. Fin was leaning back in his chair, his hands folded behind his head. John's feet were on the desk, an open cardboard box on his lap.

Liv covered her mouth with her hand to stifle a laugh over something Elliot said. The other two sported grins. As if on cue, they all glanced up at Cragen's office.

It was comical how their eyes widened; how they scurried to their respective desks, hurrying to put pen to paper and convince him that they were doing their jobs. He laughed and shook his head.

They were definitely up to something.

He couldn't shake the thought, even as he watched them diligently working on reports. Every so often, one would look up and catch his eye before quickly looking down again.

For cops, they were certainly not inconspicuous. They reminded him more of children at the beach, poking at a defenseless jellyfish after Dad had already called them on it. The question was, what was the jellyfish?

He pushed the door open and strolled toward them, hands in his back pockets.

"How's it goin'?"

Olivia jumped. "H-h-hey, Cap," she stuttered.

They were all looking at him now, guilt washing out of them like the ocean surf. He noticed the box at John's feet, slowly creeping under the desk to hide.

He smirked. This was way too easy.

"Whatcha got there, John?"

The box stopped moving. To his credit, John kept a straight face as he said, "Paperwork. Mountains of it."

Cragen snorted. While that was certainly true, they both knew that wasn't what he was referring to.

"I think he means the box, man," Fin put in. Liv and Elliot snickered and John glared at them from behind his dark glasses.

"Only some old notes about a cold case." John's always been quick on his feet. He would have to step lightly to catch him off guard.

"Oh, really? Mind if I take a quick look?"

John grinned, "Be my guest."

Giving them all a quick glance, noticing the grins and the mischief-sparkling eyes, he realized that they are better than he ever thought. They've ambushed and cornered him. He can't back down. Not in front of his squad and everyone milling about. And they know it. He's got to shoot the elephant.

He took the box from John, noticing just how light it is. There's no way that there was paperwork in there. "It's pretty light. Must not be more than a folder."

"Take a look, Cap," Elliot urged. "It's pretty interesting stuff."

The feeling of unease settled deeper into the pit of his stomach. He slowly reached into the box and felt- something that certainly wasn't paper. It was soft...

He pulled it out and watched as it unfolded itself. It was a black tee-shirt. There were bright green words on it. He straightened it out to read, "Just Another Sexy Bald Guy."

He was aware of how they were bent over in laughter; how people had stopped to stare at the four hysterical detectives. Shaking his head, he threw the shirt back into the box and took it with him back into his office. They were still laughing even after he shut the door.

If it helped to lighten the burden on their hearts and minds, he didn't mind being the jellyfish. At least, not too often.


End file.
